The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, Philly. And good news for Curaçao and Côte d’Ivoire: It’s shaping up to be a good day to play in the World Cup.
Today we’re starting with a look at a City Hall power couple that stands to reap up to $750,000 by briefly retiring — then continuing to work for the city.
And speaking of FIFA’s soccer spectacle, we heard from several Philadelphians who had planned the perfect World Cup weekends for their families — but never made it into the stadium.
Plus, most Philadelphians back sanctuary city status, and more news of the day.
— Tommy Rowan (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
City Hall power couple Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. and City Representative Jazelle Jones are poised to collect up to $752,000 in combined payouts from Philadelphia’s widely criticized DROP program.
The program, the Deferred Retirement Option Plan, is an early retirement incentive for city workers that two decades ago sparked a major scandal in City Hall.
But neither of the city officials, who are married, is actually retiring.
Check out the full report from Ryan Briggs and Sean Walsh.
Fans in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey, Seattle, and Philadelphia have all shared the same story.
People across U.S. host cities arrived at stadiums for the World Cup hoping their tickets would be transferred, but to no avail.
Most faced issues with StubHub, while other reports indicate fans are having similar issues on SeatGeek.
“We’re standing outside the stadium and obviously everybody is in full celebration, and here we are, supposed to be living this World Cup moment together for the first time, and there’s just this feeling of disappointment,” said Fishtown resident Georgette Luna, whose family never made it in.
Read the full story from reporters Henry Savage and Michelle Myers.
In related news: The World Cup was originally expected to generate a $770 million economic impact in the Philadelphia region. But just $30 million to $90 million is likely to stay in the area, according to a new report.
What you should know today
A significant majority of residents want Philadelphia to remain a sanctuary for immigrants, according to a new poll that shows the overwhelmingly Democratic city is undeterred by President Trump’s threats to defund so-called sanctuary cities.
A former Delaware County woman with ties to a cult-like group is charged with shooting her parents in her childhood home. The arrest follows years of suspicion.
Exton Square Mall, Chester County’s only enclosed mall, will close its doors next week after five decades as a retail hub.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to limit city prosecutors’ ability to work to overturn old murder convictions took square aim at one of District Attorney Larry’s Krasner’s signature initiatives.
A former employee at a Hatboro daycare injured a child with special needs by slamming him, hard, into a chair and, later, onto the floor, prosecutors said.
A Pennsylvania program that assists homeowners and small landlords by financing repairs was on track Wednesday to expand nationwide. Then Trump refused to sign the bill.
Police said a 25-year-old man who posed as a student repeatedly gained entry to Abington Senior High School and later tried to rape a student.
Project HOME is adding 20 beds to a Hunting Park shelter to house hospital patients who have nowhere to go once they’re discharged.
Quote of the day
Wherever they went, whatever they did, Twins Blake and Austin Havertine did it together. Soccer, basketball, football, and baseball, when it came to sports the Havertine twins were inseparable. What they also did together was leave an indelible legacy for Radnor High School baseball that may never be surpassed by a pair of brother pitchers,
Now, for the first time in their lives, they will be going their separate ways.
🧠 Trivia time
This week we’re counting down the 76 most iconic Philly songs, and today we’re unveiling No. 32-11. Which of these didn’t make the cut?
A) Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now (theme From ‘Rocky’)”
B) Patti LaBelle’s “If Only You Knew”
C) Boyz II Men’s “Motownphilly”
D) They’re all groovy
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🏀 Excited about. Labaron Philon Jr., landing with the Sixers with the 22nd overall pick in the NBA draft was worth the wait. Go inside his draft night, and his unexpected fall to the “perfect spot” in Philadelphia.
📖 Reading. For her Inquirer column, “Parent Trip,” writer Andee Hochman attempted to answer one question: What does the road to parenthood look like for people who don’t follow the family “norm”? And now she’s distilled those nine years of reporting and 468 parenthood columns into a forthcoming book.
🏡 Inspecting. A historic Philly mansion has been listed for sale with 10 fireplaces and nine bedrooms. But there’s a catch — once a year, the owner must permit “a re-enactment of portions of the Battle of Germantown” on their front lawn.
🍸 Curious about. Developers are planning to add a new rooftop nightclub along the Camden waterfront. The club would be built atop a four-floor parking garage.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: SEPTA is planning an 86-unit apartment complex near this station.
INK JON WENT
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Barbara Goudarzi, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Triple Bottom Brewing. The Spring Garden brewery is adding an exciting new food vendor: revered Mexican restaurant South Philly Barbacoa.
Photo of the day
And we end with the debut of a new landscaped median on South Broad Street in front of the Kimmel Center. The new feature has been under construction for months and is a down payment on a promised major redo of the Avenue of the Arts streetscape.
👋 Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Paola Pérez has you covered tomorrow.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
